﻿51 
  

  

  introducers 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  improved 
  varieties 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  sweet 
  

   chestnut, 
  illustrations 
  and 
  descriptions 
  of 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  had 
  upon 
  ap- 
  

   plication 
  to 
  these 
  gentlemen. 
  

  

  The 
  extreme 
  severity 
  of 
  the 
  chestnut 
  blight 
  throughout 
  the 
  section 
  

   where 
  it 
  has 
  made 
  its 
  appearance, 
  the 
  rapidity 
  with 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  spread 
  

   since 
  its 
  discovery, 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  practical 
  impossibilit}^ 
  of 
  keeping 
  it 
  

   under 
  control 
  have 
  put 
  the 
  future 
  of 
  the 
  chestnut 
  industrj^ 
  of 
  this 
  

   country 
  much 
  in 
  doubt. 
  As 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  made 
  clear 
  during 
  the 
  

   present 
  meeting, 
  this 
  disease 
  has 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  entire 
  destruction 
  of 
  

   thousands 
  of 
  forest 
  and 
  park 
  chestnut 
  trees 
  in 
  the 
  sections 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  

   appeared, 
  and 
  as 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  further 
  apprehension 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  

   chestnut 
  blight 
  is 
  taken 
  into 
  account 
  by 
  the 
  authorities 
  familiar 
  with 
  it, 
  

   it 
  may 
  be 
  well 
  to 
  state 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  last 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  Pennsylvania 
  

   State 
  Legislature, 
  the 
  sum 
  of 
  $275,000 
  was 
  appropriated 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  

   studying 
  and 
  combatting 
  this 
  disease. 
  Above 
  every 
  other 
  question 
  

   bearing 
  upon 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  chestnut 
  culture, 
  that 
  of 
  this 
  disease 
  is 
  by 
  

   far 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  prospective 
  planter. 
  

  

  THE 
  SHAGBARK 
  HICKORY 
  (Hicoria 
  ovata) 
  . 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  native 
  to 
  the 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  under 
  dis- 
  

   cussion. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  common 
  north 
  of 
  southern 
  ]\Iaine 
  and 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  

   abundant 
  than 
  the 
  chestnut 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  New 
  England 
  and 
  North 
  At- 
  

   lantic 
  States. 
  It 
  is 
  best 
  adapted 
  to 
  regions 
  of 
  deep 
  fertile 
  soils 
  well 
  

   supplied 
  with 
  moisture, 
  yet 
  without 
  standing 
  water. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  difficult 
  

   to 
  propagate 
  by 
  asexual 
  methods 
  and 
  ordinarily 
  requires 
  from 
  twelve 
  

   to 
  twenty 
  years 
  to 
  bring 
  it 
  into 
  commercial 
  bearing. 
  For 
  these 
  reasons 
  

   exceedingly 
  few 
  varieties 
  have 
  been 
  called 
  to 
  public 
  attention. 
  The 
  lo- 
  

   cation 
  of 
  several 
  individual 
  trees 
  of 
  superior 
  merit 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  average 
  

   are 
  now 
  known 
  and 
  arrangements 
  are 
  being 
  made 
  for 
  their 
  early 
  

   propagation. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  practical 
  means 
  of 
  obtaining 
  young 
  trees 
  for 
  nut 
  pur- 
  

   poses 
  it 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  is 
  to 
  plant 
  nuts 
  from 
  selected 
  trees. 
  This 
  

   method 
  will, 
  of 
  course, 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  wide 
  variation 
  common 
  with 
  seedling 
  

   trees, 
  but 
  until 
  experienced 
  propagators 
  meet 
  with 
  better 
  success 
  in 
  

   their 
  efforts 
  at 
  grafting 
  or 
  budding 
  this 
  species 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  past, 
  there 
  

   is 
  little 
  use 
  for 
  the 
  amateur 
  to 
  undertake 
  it. 
  

  

  THE 
  AMERICAN 
  BLACK 
  WALNUT 
  {Juglaus 
  nigra). 
  

  

  The 
  American 
  black 
  walnut 
  is 
  common 
  to 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  

   area 
  as 
  the 
  shagbark 
  hickory. 
  It 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  exacting 
  in 
  its 
  soil 
  and 
  

   moisture 
  requirements 
  than 
  that 
  species 
  and 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  frequent 
  

   within 
  the 
  same 
  area. 
  Its 
  representatives, 
  either 
  native 
  or 
  planted, 
  are 
  

   found 
  in 
  almost 
  every 
  kind 
  of 
  soil 
  and 
  at 
  nearly 
  every 
  degree 
  of 
  eleva- 
  

  

  